Cotton picker



March 11,11930. H. N. BERRY 1,750,034

COTTON PICKER Filed April 22. 192'?v 2 sheets-sheet 1 March 11, 1930. H. N. BERRY coTTon PICKER Filed April. 22. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Hiv-arm Nfer' cwi ATTORNEYS drive three vertical rows or series of the spindles, and the driving is accomplished by means of the gearing just described. It is deemed unnecessary to describe the details of the picker s indles because these are fully brought out 1n the application mentioned, it being only necessary to bear in mind that the vertical Shafts 70 drive 0r mtatethe Picker spindles by the gearing .illustratedV as the Cylinder 58 revolves upon its vertical axis.

At the upper ends of the shaft 7 Oabove the top plate 60 are secured pulleys 72, and these pulleys form part ofthe driving connections of the picking spindles. According ,to the foregoing application, those pulleys 72 of a predetermined. number of driving shafts 79 and associated picking spindles, come-into engement with the driving belt as such pulys move around into range of al driving belt not shown) when the picking spindles enter t e zone of the cotton plants. It is thus that rotation is imparted to the picking spindles onl when needed. 'Bhe invention comprises the provision of spurs or fingers 77 which may be of substanially equal length to the picking spindles 57. But'unlike the picking spindles, the spurs 77 are stationarily mounted, for which purpose theyare provided with threaded ends 78 (Figure 4) with adjacent nut-like formations 79 by which they Ycan be screwed in place in the c linder wall. The purpose of the spurs or l'lgers 77 is top facilitate and make positive the'introduction of the cotton to the revolving picker spindles 57. This is'readily understood u n reference to Figure 1. It is a principle ofxthe machine that the rate of bodily forward motion ofthe machine in the direction of arrow-80is the same as the rearward motion of the extremities of the'picker spindles in the direction of arrow 81. The effect of this is to merely introduce the picking spindle into the cotton Vplant and to withdraw it therefrom with so little disturbance as not to harm the plant.

Should it so happen that an open boll 82 comes between an adjacent pair of `picking spindles 57 it is evident that the machine will pass by with little likelihood of the revolving picking spindles reaching the cotton and removing it from the plant.Y Y It is here that the function of the spurs 77 appears. These s urs, although located in any desired relatlenship to the picking spindles, are preferably located m1dway` between `vertical and horizontal rows of the pickingl spindles, as plainly shown in Figure 1. The picking spin.- dle approaching the podded boll 82V will serve topush the boll either tt? one Side or the other, as shownjn full lines at 83,1211@ Stem of the-boll being flexible enou h to permit this. It thus follows that the bo Al ispushed either against one orV the other of the adjacent; revolving o5 pickmspindles so that instead ofipassing the partie ai' boll by the machine operates to remove such boll. The effectiveness of the machine is thus increased considerably.

It is desired to make it plain that the use of the relatively stationary spurs or fingers 77 is not confined to a drum of cylinder construction .of cotton picker asv herein disclosed but may be employed With other types of needle or spindle pickers equally as well. VIt is also to be understood that the cross sectional shape of these spurs may be other than round, and

it has already been stated thatn the position of the spurs in respect to the revolving spindles or needles may be varied as is found necessary in practice yVariation or modification of the mode of driving the-shafts is illustrated in Figures 5 to .7 inclusive. This modification comprises the substitutionof a gear 84 for the pulley 72 upon the drive shaft 70. The drive shaft may now be cut olf short close to the gear 84. A vertical stub shaft 85 is screwed into the top plate or drum head 60, the non-circular enlargement or hub 86 serving` bothas a nut by means of which the stub shaft may be screwed into place as well'as a post upon which the combined pulley 87 and pinion 88 mayrevolve.

4It is evident from Figure 7 4that the stub shaft85 may be placed in any desired radial location in reference to the drive shaft 70 so long `as-the gears are kept in mesh thereby making it possible to use larger pulleys than is possible when the pulleys are mounted directly upon the drive shaft. The use of gearing also permits of the increase of driving force delivered to the vertical shafts 70 by virtue of the increased amount of frictional contact of the beltwith the pulleys, it being deemed important to observe that any diminutionin speed of rotation of the vertical shafts-can be compensated for by increasing the speed of the belt.

Reference is next made to a, special construction of the top plate or drum head 60 as 'well as a special construction in the supporting-post 62. The latter has a bore 89 into which a lubricant-is pumped or otherwise introduced. lThis bore has a lateral duct 90 which discharges into a circular well 91 formed in the top plate 60. A cover plate 92, ysecured to the top plate 60 as at 93, covers the well in such a manner as to exclude foreign matter from the lubricant. The cover plate includesa relatively large sleeve or hub 94 which extends outwardly in spaced relationship to the post 62, and receives a covering washer 95 which may be held in place in any suitable manner.

The holes 96, through which the drive shafts 70 extend are sufficiently over sized not to interfere wit-h the shafts. The'cover plate is circul'arly grooved on the under side as at, 97, thegroove' being of sufficient lateral extent as to affordy communication between the well 91 and the bearings 98 of the drive fare revolubly mounted: in combination,` 4.0

shafts. Assuming the level of the lubricant to be above the groove it follows that there will be a continuous supply of lubricant to the bearings 98, the additional effect being to lubricate the various pinions 71 on the drive shafts by virtue of the lubricant running down.

While the construction and arrangement includes cotton picking machines of a gen-V erally preferred form, obviously modiiications and changes may be made without departing `from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

What I-claim is:

1. In a cotton icker having picking elements arranged or introduction into and retraction from the plants as the cotton picker progresses along a row; in combination, means interspersed between said picking elements for defiecting ripened bolls otherwise out of range of said elements into proximity with adjacent picking elements. v

2. In a cotton picker having spaced picking elements in vertical and horizontal rows arranged for introduction into and retraction from the cotton plants as the picker progresses along a row: ink combination, means disposed in predetermined locations in reference to said picking elements and in the spaces therebetween to deflect ripened bolls otherwise out of range of the picking elements into prox- Jimitywith adjacent picking elements as said elements are introduced into the plants.

3. In a cotton picker having revoluble pickf ing spindles arranged for introduction into and retraction from the cotton plants as the picker progresses along a row, means which is part of the picker upon which the spindles spurs mounted upon said means and being relatively stationarily located in respect to said revoluble picking spindles to move into proximityrwith adjacent revoluble picking spindles ripened bolls otherwise out of range of said spindles.

4C. In a cotton picker having a drum which is movableduring a cotton picking operation, picking spindles in spaced relationship to each other revolubly mounted upon the drum and radiating therefrom, said spindles being arranged for introduction into and retraction from the cotton plants as the drum moves alonga row: in combination, spurs supported in predetermined spaced relationship to the pic ing spindles to move toward adjacent spindles ripened bolls otherwise out of range of said spindles, and means by which said spurs are fixed in position upon the drum and feo in relationship to the revoluble spindles.

5. A cotton picker comprising the combination of a plurality of picking spindles, a drum upon which said spindles are mounted in y spaced and radiating positions, means for moving the drum as the cotton picker progresses along a row thereby to introduce the the drum.

HIRAM NEWTON BERRY. 

